


Glad Tidings

by ThatRavenclawBitch



Series: 25 Days of Ficlets [11]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Stargate Universe
Genre: 25 Days of Fic-mas, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:20:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21641332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatRavenclawBitch/pseuds/ThatRavenclawBitch
Summary: “This whole place smells like Santa’s kitchen”Day 1 of my 25 Days of Ficmas 2019! Takes place in my Feet in the Air/Where is My Mind universe.
Relationships: Lacey (Once Upon a Time)/Nicholas Rush
Series: 25 Days of Ficlets [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1201828
Comments: 22
Kudos: 28





	Glad Tidings

“It’s your turn,” Lacey said sweetly, putting on her perfected pout that she knew Nick couldn’t say no to. Her husband rolled his eyes, reaching his arms out for their wriggly 15-month-old daughter.

“Oh God,” he said, pulling a face as she wrapped her chubby arms about his neck. “She smells like a dumpster on a hot day.”

“Yeah, well, this whole place smells like Santa’s kitchen, so it should counteract.”

Rush rolled his eyes again, standing up and balancing Brianna on his hip. He grabbed the diaper bag from beside the sofa as he made his way out of the living room to the bathroom and Lacey leaned back against the leather sofa with a sigh. It was Christmas Eve and they were spending the evening at Belle and Gold’s house in Storybrooke. It had been a fairly low-key event so far, helped along by the fact that Lacey and Belle’s father was noticeably absent. He’d be swinging by for Christmas lunch the next day and Lacey was certain some fight would erupt between he and Gold as it usually did. It was a mark of the ill will Moe French harbored against Gold even after all these years that Nicholas Rush came across as the preferred son-in-law.

Now that the scent of Bree’s dirty diaper was removed from the immediate vicinity, Lacey could smell something absolutely divine coming from the kitchen. She sniffed at the air a bit before turning to her sister.

“I wasn’t kidding about the Santa’s kitchen thing,” she said. “What have you got going in there? It smells amazing.”

Belle shrugged. “Red velvet crinkle cookies at the moment, but I did a batch of gingerbread earlier. My sweet tooth has exploded in the second trimester. I swear this one is going to come out 90% sugar.”

Belle dropped a hand to her belly, finally showing at almost six months along. Gold turned around from the drinks cart where he was mixing up something potent looking with a fond look at his wife.

“Only if she’s half as sweet as you,” he said with a wink. Lacey let out a loud fake retching sound and six-year-old Gideon giggled from his spot on the floor in front of the nine foot Balsam fir where he was shaking every present that had his name on it. Lacey pulled a face at him and he giggled even harder.

He’d been great with Bree so far, attentive and sweet to his baby cousin, so Lacey knew he’d be an excellent big brother. It made her a little sad she and Belle’s babies were so far apart in age. Five and a half years was quite the age difference during childhood. But Bree would only be eighteen months older than Belle’s second child and Lacey only hoped they would be as close as their mothers had always been.

“Cocktail, Lacey?” Gold asked from his spot by the drinks cart. Before even waiting for an answer, he turned and held out a tumbler toward her. Lacey held up a hand instinctively.

“Oh, no thanks.”

Gold blinked at her, his hand still hovering mid air with the drink.  
“What?” he asked.

“I said no thanks,” Lacey repeated, smoothing her hands over her corduroy skirt, her palms suddenly feeling sweaty.

Gold shook his head.

“You’ve never refused a drink in this house before.”

Lacey scoffed. “Well, that’s just not true.”

“Yes it is,” Belle said, sitting forward on the sofa, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Even Gideon seemed to realize something was afoot, the brightly wrapped package in his hands slipping from his fingers to clatter against the floor.

“You’re pregnant,” Gold said matter-of-factly.

Lacey’s eyes widened. “What? No I’m not! Why would you even say that? That’s absurd and frankly insulting that you would think I would be pregnant. And how do I know that you’re not pregnant? Hmm? So check and mate.”

Gold’s mouth had flattened as though he was trying not to laugh. Belle’s face was ecstatic, almost manic. Everyone was staring at her. Lacey had a tendency to babble when she was caught off guard, one of her less admirable traits. She should just learn to keep her mouth shut.

“Fine,” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “I’m fucking pregnant.”

“Aunt Lacey said a jar word!” Gideon exclaimed, pointing at her.

“Yeah, yeah, I owe you a dollar, kid,” Lacey griped.

Belle let out a high pitched squeal, scooting over to Lacey’s side and wrapping her arms around her twin in a tight hug. Lacey allowed herself a small smile at Belle’s excitement. It was good that at least one of them was excited. Every time Lacey thought about the impending birth of her second child she was overwhelmed to the point of nausea. Or perhaps that was just the morning sickness.

“Lacey!” Belle exclaimed as she pulled back. “When are you due? Our babies will be the same age! They can grow up as best friends!”

“I’m due in July,” she said. “I only just found out a couple weeks ago.”

Rush chose that moment to emerge from the hall with Bree in hand.

“All better,” he announced, holding the baby girl up for inspection. He stooped to set Bree on the floor and she toddled over to Gideon, grabbing on to his hair and giggling.

“Congratulations,” Gold told him, handing him the cocktail originally meant for Lacey.

“Why thank you,” Nick said with a nod. “It was a touch and go process there for a moment, but I think my PhD really helps out when it comes to diaper changing.”

Gold snorted a laugh.

“I meant about the…” he cut off, seeing Lacey’s frantic head shaking.

“He meant about the baby,” Belle finished for him, not noticing the way her sister’s face had paled considerably.

Rush’s eyebrows drew together as he took a sip of his drink. “What baby?”

“Oh!” Belle exclaimed, looking from Lacey to Rush and back. “Oh no.”

“Lacey,” Rush said, cottoning on. “What baby?”

Lacey heaved a sigh. She’d been dreading this moment, the absolute horror etched across Nick’s face. She knew it was too soon. Bree was only fifteen months old, still a baby herself. They’d just gotten past the bloody horrible infant stage and here they were set to do it again. She knew Rush hadn’t been exactly keen on the idea of children to begin with even though he absolutely adored Bree. She knew that springing another baby on him now at the holidays could go very, very badly. It’s why she’d buried the three home pregnancy tests at the bottom of their trash bin and taken the whole bag out to the dumpster at the first opportunity. She wasn’t going to tell him until absolutely necessary.

“Lacey,” Nick said again.

“I’m pregnant,” she said, flatly. “Due in July.”

Rush blinked several times, his mouth slack. Then, before Lacey knew it, he’d bounded across the living room and pulled her up off the sofa into a tight hug.

“That’s fantastic!” he exclaimed. “But why am I finding out from them?” he thumbed over his shoulder at Belle and Gold. “I mean it’s only fair since Belle told me about Gideon first, but still. When were you going to tell me?”

“Boxing day,” Lacey admitted with a shrug. “I have an ultrasound picture wrapped up under the tree. Surprise.”

Rush laughed, shaking his head. “You had two glasses of wine last night,” he accused, stepping back from her. “I poured them myself.”

“And I poured them into the fiddle leaf fig in the dining room,” she admitted. “Hope I didn’t kill the poor thing.”

Rush pulled her into another tight hug, kissing the top of her head.

“So you’re not mad?” Lacey asked, turning her face up to look at him.

“Mad?” he asked, confused. “Why would I be mad?”

Lacey shrugged. “It was a mistake,” she said. “We weren’t trying. And it’s really soon after Bree.”

Rush shook his head, his hand coming up to cradle Lacey’s cheek. “I’m having another beautiful child with the woman I love. I can’t think of a better Christmas present than that.”

“Oh good, then I’ll take back the scotch and the hand carved chess set,” Lacey quipped.

Rush rolled his eyes. “No, but I may enroll in a self defense class. Bree’s birth taught me you have a mean right hook.”

Lacey snorted. “I promise not to punch you this time. I know how bad it hurts and I’m definitely getting the epidural.”

“Aunt Lacey,” Gideon’s voice came from beside the tree, bursting the little bubble they’d made for themselves. “I think Bree pooped in her diaper again.”

Lacey and Rush turned to look at their daughter, the telltale wetness against her red overalls a sure sign of a poop explosion.

“I told you not to give her all that gingerbread,” Rush griped.

“Your turn,” Lacey said sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

Rush groaned, picking up Bree and holding her out at arms length. “That’s not gonna work on the next one!” he called as he left the room. “Oh God it’s all the way up her neck! Help!”

Lacey sighed, getting up to follow Rush to the bathroom. Two kids in diapers was going to be hard to handle, but at least she had the best possible partner.


End file.
